News / Horfield
Council contractors stopped from turning grass into car parking spaces
Bristol City Council has apologised after workmen were narrowly prevented from digging up a much-loved green space in order to replace it with parking.
Claire Hiscott, the local Conservative Party councillor for Horfield, was forced to step in to halt the work of the contractors after being contacted by alarmed residents.
The council has admitted that residents had not been given sufficient warning before the work began and promise to carry out a review of their consultation processes.
is needed now More than ever
Generations of children have enjoyed playing on the grass area in the middle of Butterfield Close, located between Horfield Common and Southmead Hospital.
Residents are concerned that any new parking spaces created on the grass would quickly be taken up by visitors or staff at the nearby hospital.
Lines painted by council contractors can still be seen on the grass in the middle of Butterfield Close – photo: Jess Connett
Hiscott, who served in Bristol mayor Marvin Rees’ original rainbow cabinet, said: “The shoddy and shameful way residents have been completely sidelined in this matter is an absolute disgrace.
“Once again the people living in this part of my ward have been completely ignored.
“Estates management and housing officers are now, thankfully, having to back-track on moves made without proper consultation.
“I imagine this was a well-meaning idea to provide extra parking spots but the council should have sought local views first.
“In this case, it’s pretty clear that the threatened land has a higher value as a play space than anything else. If asked, I could easily have advised officials of this fact.
“It is to be hoped that lessons will be learned from this latest high-handed episode and an acceptable resolution quickly found.”
Butterfield Close in Horfield is only a few hundred metres away from Southmead Hospital – photo: Jess Connett
A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “We are determined to make working with communities and local councillors on schemes such as this a top priority, and we apologise that our approach towards this project has fallen short of those high standards.
“Engaging residents over such work should always be at the forefront of our thinking and it’s not acceptable that it has not happened in this case.
“The time lag between the survey of residents and work starting has been too long. We have now paused the project so that we can work on a solution that is the result of genuine collaboration and consultation with the local community.
“We recognise the importance of green space that is shared safely and will consult closely with local members and residents to gauge further opinion on the issues before developing new plans.
“We are also undertaking a review of our processes to ensure consultation is carried out correctly and thoroughly in future.”
Main photo: Jess Connett
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